Former Liverpool defender Neil Ruddock reveals stunning weight loss

Ruddock, who played 152 times for Liverpool in the 1990s, has spoken publicly about his weight battles, as he admitted he bloated to 27 stone after “eating and drinking too much”.

The 54-year-old, who has appeared on numerous reality TV shows including Big Brother and I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here, revealed he lost the will to battle his weight during the Covid lockdowns.

“I struggled during Covid, that was a big factor, just sitting on my backside at home getting bigger and bigger. I got lazier,” said the former Tottenham star.

“At my worst I was crazy. I was doing three or four ­bottles of wine a day, easy-peasy, plus spirits, beers, cocktails.

"Before I could get a pacemaker I had to have my heart zapped to slow it down.

“They zap it seven times. If your heartbeat doesn’t return to normal after seven times, you’re in trouble.

“Mine came back the third time they did it – but it stopped and I was technically dead for several seconds.”

It was a meeting with Only Way Is Essex star James Argent that inspired Ruddock to consider surgery to combat his problems, as he underwent gastric sleeve surgery.

TOWIE star Arg dropped 13 stone after having a gastric band fitted in 2021 and his weight loss inspired Ruddock to follow his lead.

"It was just fate that I met Arg when I did at a charity football match. I knew I had to have it done after seeing how great he looked,” added the ex-footballer who has a nickname of ‘Razor’.

Now Ruddock has post images of his new look on his social media platforms, after shedding almost seven stone.

"After years of struggling with my weight, I decided it was finally time to take action,” he wrote.

“Last year I had gastric sleeve surgery and I’m well into my weight loss journey, to date I've lost 93lbs.

“This is a fresh start & I’m excited about this new chapter.”

Ruddock has also posted social media images of his healthier diet, as he seems to have turned a corner in a weight battle that has been such a big part of his life since his football career ended twenty years ago.